Giant grave

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Mohenjo-daro Priest-King.jpeg
Spread of the giant graves
Gigantic grave with ashlar facade ( Italian tipo dolmenico - dolmen type)
The giant grave of Coddu Vecchiu near Arzachena , with portal stele
Giant Tomb of Osono

The giant tombs are the largest pre- nuragic cult facilities in Sardinia . Like the great rock tombs ( Sos Furrighesos ), the Domus de Janas , they are monuments of the Bonnanaro culture (2200–1600 BC), the forerunner culture of the Nuragher . The ones in Sardu Tumbas de sos zigantes and in Italian plur. Buildings called Tombe dei Giganti are among the latest megalithic structures in Europe .

development

Sa Domu 'e S'Orku

A variant of the giant tombs can be found in northern Sardinia, especially in the Logudoro , whose soft Miocene limestone formations prompted the people of the Ozieri culture to build Domus de Janas. Here, giant graves with portal steles and small exedra were carved out of the rock Mesu 'e Montes ; even the shape of the chamber, resembling a ship's hull, is indicated. On the Campu Luntanu , the distant field; in Florinas, there is a monolithic tomb carved entirely from an erratic boulder - only the exedra is missing. Similar to the giant tombs, these Nuragic Domus de Janas usually only have an elongated rectangular chamber, which is occasionally arranged across the facade, because this way the rooms can be better used ( Sos Furrighesos ).

Portal stele and blocks

Structurally, there are two types of freestanding giant graves. Once with portal steles, similar to the entrances to the large rock tombs, some of which imitate portal steles; the type that is presented in Li Lolghi , Coddu Vecchiu , both Province of Sassari or in S'Ena 'e Thomes near Dorgali .

  • Models with portal stele

  • Model with portal stele rear view

  • Long cut through the gallery (chamber)

  • Model with portal stele front view

The most prominent element of the first generation or the north of the giant graves is the phallic portal stele up to 4 m high in the center of the exedra. Unique in their kind, the exedra of the 321 known complexes have on the one hand similarities with the Irish Court Tombs , and the Scottish Clyde Tombs and on the other hand with the exedra of Maltese temples.

Later complexes such as Muraguada and Tamuli , on the other hand, are not provided with central steles, but with a significantly raised square facade in the middle made of processed and layered stone blocks ( Italian tipo dolmenico - dolmen type). In the case of the Madau (NU) complex , it can be seen that the exedra was built from block stones on an overturned portal stele, which clarifies the sequence.

The U-shaped dolmen S'Ena 'e sa Vacca near Olzai , in the province of Nuoro (NU), is regarded as the starting point for the construction of giant graves . The layout of Coddu Vecchiu and Li Lolghi clearly shows that exedra with portal steles were subsequently placed in front of existing rectangular gallery or box graves. These modifications are not limited to the Gallura , which evidently joins a development that originated elsewhere. The Dolmen Sculacacca near Oniferi , which is a unique specimen, was built at the same time . Close to Abbasanta is the Sos Ozzastros complex with a gallery only 3.4 m long and one meter wide, one of the smallest giant tombs. It has a semicircular exedra with bank-like stems.

The gallery

The mostly narrow galleries, which can often only be reached through a tiny opening at the lower end of the portal stele, can be up to 24 m long. There are different variations in the design of the gallery. Some, like the later Protonuraghen , are provided with a horizontal ceiling plate ( S'Ena 'e Thomes ), others with false vaults ( Is Concias , Muraguada and Madau ). In the ceiling extension of the galleries there is also a combination of horizontal slab and vault ( San Cosimo province of Cagliari (CA)).

Up to 136 skeletons were found in such a gallery. The cultural continuity between the large rock chambers and the open-air architecture is formed by the Baityloi and their locations. They stand above some rock grave portals as well as on (then with tooth friezes) or next to giant graves ( Is Concias , Tamuli ).

See also

literature

  • Raimondo Altana: Tomba di giganti e armonici megalitici Fabbroni Edizioni, 2011
  • Caterina Bittichesu: Le Tombe di giganti [1]
  • Jürgen E. Walkowitz: The megalithic syndrome. European cult sites of the Stone Age (= contributions to the prehistory and early history of Central Europe. Vol. 36). Beier & Beran, Langenweißbach 2003, ISBN 3-930036-70-3 .

Web links

Commons : Giants graves  - collection of images, videos and audio files